Author: twx

  • Business Model Innovation: Hair Salon

    Business Model Innovation: Hair Salon

    Realised it’s been a while since we last posted a Business Model Innovation analysis ever since we launched the series. Thanks for the few readers who pointed out! Back by popular demand, we are adding a new chapter to the business model analysis series!

    Today, we are doing a quick analysis, to help you create your hair salon business. As usual, we will be doing our analysis with the business model canvas.

    Unique Value Proposition

    The UVP is to create the best haircut experience tailored to (our customer).

    To strengthen this UVP, we have to deep dive into what our customer segments are.

    Customer Segments

    Some ways to look at the customer segments is through income levels, whic would determine whether the customers can afford the service, and gender, as male and female customers typically tend to have differing needs and preferences. Behavioural segmentation could also be explored, whether customers believe in salon as more of an experience or just to solve the functional need to get their hair trimmed and look professional and well-kempt.

    Key Partners

    Some of the key partners for this business could be companies in the area of operations, or even the mall which your salon operates in. The salon could also work with suppliers of products in lowering costs, or co-developing strategies to improve sales, which is a win-win for both sides. Some salons even work with advertising agencies too (more of that in revenue.)

    Key Activities

    The key activities in the business is attracting the customer to the location, the actual haircut, the value added service (perm, wash, etc.), product sales.

    Other functions like human resources and training may be required as the salon is in the service line and is very much a people’s business.

    Key Resources

    Some key resources in this business model is the people and the location. Hair cut is treated as a convenience good by many, and the visit may be influenced by proximity. Finding a prime location might mean more foot traffic for the business.

    As with most service sectors, the people in the business are the key touchpoint with the customers. Investing in proper training in sales and relationship management may make a satisfied customer a happy returning customer.

    Customer Relationship

    In terms of customer relationship, a customer would enter a salon for the first time, usually through proximity, brochures, or word-of-mouth. After sales service and loyalty memberships are techniques which can be explored by the business to retain customers, perhaps through stretch incentives like a free 10th haircut.

    Channels

    In terms of channels, an offline channel is the most straightforward approach for a haircut. Using print media may be the way to reach those of a later life cycle stage.

    Online work could still be done by creating a good website to tell your customers where you are located. This could be a long term view to create a demand pull for the business.

    Cost

    To list a few possibilities:

    1. Rental
    2. Salary
    3. Cost of Material (Comb, shampoo, hair dye, razor blades, etc.)
    4. Cost of Capital (Chair, mirror, razor, scissors, interactive displays etc.)
    5. Marketing expenses, advertising, digital marketing fees, etc.

    Revenue

    To list a few possibilties:

    1. The haircut
    2. Shampoo and wash
    3. Hair colouring
    4. Rebonding
    5. Lots of other value added services where you can imagine the possibilities. Some salons even have image consulting services!
    6. Hair product sales (Notice the Kerasys or herbal solutions and organic hair wax placed in the salons? They usually serve as add on sales.
    7. Advertising revenue (For instance express haircut place QB house has these screens which show bite sized advertisements to patrons from their partners.

    That’s a hair salon business summarised in one page, do let us know if it worked for you and do let us know the other business models you may be interested in!

    Interested in exploring other business ideas? Do drop us a note at businessmodel@tanweixiang.com.

    If you loved our post, follow us on our LinkedIn for updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tanweixiang

    Do check out our business model analysis on a photo studio, or on a business model innovation on DIY Bakery.

    https://tanweixiang.com/business-model-template-photo-studio/

    Image Credits: Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

  • 4 Internship and Work Rules to Succeed in Management Functions

    4 Internship and Work Rules to Succeed in Management Functions

    November is coming to a close and it’s winter internship season for many students. While still relatively fresh to the working world, I have consolidated some working rules which I have learned from my previous internship experiences and current working experience.

    Rule #1: Always Address your Customers’ Needs and Wants

    The first rule, which I have always stuck to as much as possible. My first internship included a UI/UX design of a system for users across South-East Asia. The first set of designs, while sophisticated and theoretically sound, it was not user friendly enough for ease of implementation. My first internship boss shared with me the importance of always serving the customer, which I have borne in mind since then, even joining my current company where serving customers is a core value. If you are implementing a new project in HR, then your stakeholders are the HR people. If you are presenting to management, then they are your stakeholders.

    Rule #2: Always Keep Things Concise

    Another of the workplace mess ups I had been guilty of during my first internship. I did up my first research task, the topic which I can’t remember. I was really proud of the work I prepared. I was about to send in a 10 page Microsoft Word text report to my manager. My manager came to check in, so I showed the report to her, hoping to get some positive affirmation. She was clearly shocked, but she explained to me why the working world is different from business school. There is no luxury of time, especially as one moves into middle or upper management.

    To keep things concise, she told me to do some annotations with pictures so that information is broken into bite size pieces in order to be more readily visualised and understood. Moving forward, I transited to using slides which were more concise and bring the key point across. (Sometimes I presented everything in excel too, especially when doing information gathering.)

    Rule #3: Always Observe the Situation

    A third rule I have is to spend time understanding the situation. On two separate occasions, on hindsight I could have observed better but guess it was nice to have colleagues pointing out to me.

    I once had the chance to dine with the senior vice president and the team. I got asked to suggest a place to eat, and my manager and one colleague went off to the washroom. Not realising that the SVP does not like coffee shops, I actually suggested to walk to one, without realising some of the expressions on the other colleagues faces. Everything went downhill there, never had a chance to suggest lunch places with the SVP again during lunch hour. (Although we still had team lunch treats for a few times at some posh places. Lucky me!)

    Anyway lots of other things to observe too and not going to spoil the fun for you. It’s a learning journey after all so we are all still learning! Try to spot things which you don’t usually notice when outside of work!

    Rule #4: Always Speak to Your Colleagues

    Some may be caught up with the mentality that spending your time churning away with the computer is the best way to manage workplace relationships and show that you are a hard worker. I do not agree. I personally believe that a large proportion of your time should be spent on aligning with colleagues, talking to them and knowing what is going on, and where the project you are working on fits into the bigger picture. As an intern or working adult, speaking to working colleagues with more working experience also gives you various perspectives on the working world and help with the big picture of things.

    These are just my personal opinions and there are no set ways to succeed in management functions, Hope these rules I collated will get your started and propel you to further success in your career journey.

    Still looking for an internship? This post may help!

    https://tanweixiang.com/ntu-nbs-internship-hunting-guide-tips-from-an-nbs-graduate-with-3-mnc-internship-experiences/

    Working from home during your internship? Here’s my work at work turned work from home internship experience!

    Image Credits: Photo by K8 on Unsplash

  • Nanyang  Business School: Business Analytics Module Selection Guide

    Nanyang Business School: Business Analytics Module Selection Guide

    You have finally decided that you want to do a business analytics curriculum, and want to know what you have in store for you in analytics; you log into the system and find out that there is so many courses available (correct as of July 2020):

    Specialisation Core Courses

    BC2402 Designing & Developing Databases
    BC2406 Analytics I: Visual and Predictive Techniques
    BC2407 Analytics II: Advanced Predictive Techniques

    Specialisation Prescribed Electives –
    Choose 3 Specialisation Prescribed Electives:
    AC2401 Accounting Information Systems
    BT2403 Service Operations Management
    BC2408 Supply Chain Analytics
    BC3402 Financial Service Processes & Analytics
    BC3405 Lean Operations & Analytics
    BC3406 Business Analytics Consulting (I did this)
    BC3408 Decision Modelling & Analytics (I did this)
    BC3409 AI in Accounting and Finance
    New Course Programming for Business Transformation

    Information from NBS Website

    Business Analytics Core

    The three cores are necessary to take and you would not be able to avoid them. Something new to you is probably the addition of prescribed electives, where you can pick 3 modules (or more if you want to) to add up to your final degree in Business Analytics!

    Business Analytics Sub-specialisations

    Something you may want to note is that in Business Analytics we unofficially have sub-specialisations too! I have classified according to how seniors have looked at how the courses fit in and also added my own opinion with regard to the newer modules.

    Finance Analytics Track:

    AC2401 Accounting Information Systems (Sem 1 & 2)
    BC3402 Financial Service Processes & Analytics (Sem 2)
    BC3409 AI in Accounting and Finance (Sem 2)

    Operations Analytics Track:

    BT2403 Service Operations Management (Sem 1)
    BC2408 Supply Chain Analytics (Sem 2)
    BC3405 Lean Operations & Analytics (Sem 1)

    Management Science & Analytics Consulting Track:

    BC3406 Business Analytics Consulting (Sem 2)
    BC3408 Decision Modelling & Analytics (Sem 2)
    New Course Programming for Business Transformation

    What modules did I pick?

    Prior to my year, there were modules which form a marketing analytics track. I was really interested in taking those modules, but unfortunately they were no longer offered. I decided to go with the next best alternative, which was in Management Science & Consulting. I took BC3407 R & Python, now restructured to the GER-Core BC0403, as well as BC3408 Decision Modelling & Analytics and BC3406 Business Analytics Consulting. On top of that, I stayed true to my initial interest by doing an unrestricted elective which is offered by the marketing department, BM2507 Marketing Analytics (Unfortunately not a Business Analytics Prescribed Elective though moving forward I hope it gets approved as one as inter-disciplinary knowledge is increasingly important).

    While not the most commonly picked modules by most Business Analytics students, with very little seniors with precedent knowledge, I believe that benefitted greatly from taking the modules which I have taken and look forward to sharing more.

    What modules should you pick?

    At the end of the day, there is no fixed best modules to take, but rather what aligns with your passion and purpose. My advice is to picture where you see yourself in future, and take the modules to build yourself in that direction. Hope this helps with your module planning!

    If you liked our post, do follow us on our LinkedIn, or our writer’s personal LinkedIn Account for more tips.

    Now that you are done with planning your prescribed electives, you may want to read about general and unrestricted electives over here.

    You may also be interested to pick between business and marketing.

    Here’s another blogpost from a senior which I previously got some reviews and found really helpful!

    Photo Credits: Photo by Wengang Zhai on Unsplash

  • Why I decided to return to University while Working Full Time

    Why I decided to return to University while Working Full Time

    I found myself back on campus again, not as a full-time student, but an adult learner. Just last month, I made the decision to enrol in the MiniMasters in Marketing Management at Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University. For those who may be contemplating whether you should return to campus for lessons while working, here is 3 of my reasons.

    Awareness of Knowledge Gap

    First of my reasons for returning to school was that I felt that I did not have enough knowledge in my current industry and interest in management. While in the retail and FMCG industry, the conversations tended to be along the lines of consumer behaviour, marketing strategies and trends. While I had taken some marketing modules before, as well as did two marketing internships, I did not have a deep enough understanding of the full picture of marketing. I decided to sign up to improve my understanding of marketing strategy, marketing research, branding and digital marketing.

    Networking Opportunities

    Going back to campus also gives me the chance to interact with people from various backgrounds and settled into different professions. This provides even more opportunity for an early career professional like me to understand the perspectives of both early career and experienced professionals and in my field and other fields. Honestly, in retrospect, I also found out after the first lesson there is so many different cultures which students from different schools in my university had both in class and outside of class! This meant even more room for intellectual growth and understanding of the whole business environment!

    Application of Theory into Practice

    One benefit which I realised as a working professional back in school is also the application of theory into practice. Having the context to think of (despite being just four months at work) is a really good chance to really look at my experience at work through a theoretical lens and understanding why certain decisions are being made at work.

    Contrary to popular belief, I believe that both my MiniMasters experience so far and undergraduate experience is highly applicable to the working environment!

    I’m sure that it would be a pleasant experience for me to immerse in the marketing space.

    Let’s all continue prospecting forward in our journey of lifelong learning!

    Looking forward to sharing more about my MiniMasters in Marketing Management journey! Here are some takeaways from my experience!

    If you are interested in taking the Mini Masters in Marketing Management too, do read our course reviews here.

    While I have this opportunity to do both business analytics and marketing, if you are faced with a choice between either, do read this post!

    Don’t think you can commit to part time courses in university? Self-paced learning might be for you:

    Image Credits: Photo by Wengang Zhai on Unsplash